Authoress' Note: Sorry if this vignette seems a bit rushed and poorly written. It really isn't one of my best grammar/spelling wise. My life is absolutely hectic and insane right now, and I'm surprised I even found time to get this thing churned out. I'm hoping to have at least one more out this weekend. Thanks so much for not giving up on me yet! EDIT: I totally would have had this up about 3 days ago if the document manager upload thing hadn't been so finicky. God, I hate technology sometimes.
Resuming Normalcy
Sulu loves being at the helm. He doesn't care whether he's flying the Enterprise, a shuttlecraft, or a dingy old junk ship, because he loves every moment of it. He knew from the minute he boarded a shuttlecraft from his parent's home city in what was then Japan he wanted to learn how to fly shuttlecrafts, planes, anything!
His father, who had always had a dream of flying but had never had the chance, stood behind his son as he soaked up all of the knowledge of flying and flight that he could. His mother, however, thought it was downright dangerous, and didn't understand why her son just wouldn't settle for being a doctor or a lawyer. At least with those kinds of careers she knew her son would come home from work alive every day.
Hikaru Sulu doesn't mind the risk though. The pleasure he receives at sitting right up at the front of the ship, feeling the smooth controls underneath his hands is indescribable. He has each and every one of them memorised and could execute any manoeuvre in his sleep if he needed to. When he was assigned to the Enterprise during Nero's attack he couldn't help sending up a prayer of thanks to whatever gods were listening.
The intense and almost nauseating feeling that flying induces is like a drug to Sulu. He can't get enough of it, and his whole life seems to revolve around it. Maybe that's why he's never settled down as his mother continually suggests. Where's the adventure in that? Where's the excitement? Sulu voices this opinion to his comrade, Chekov after the meeting with Admiral Pike.
Chekov shrugs and says he thinks he's had enough adventure for a lifetime, and although Sulu hesitantly agrees, he still can't put down the feeling growing in his chest. It is an air filled balloon expanding, making him feeling lighter than air. He cannot wait to get a new commission. There will be all sorts of new crafts to test out and fly.
His friend doesn't seem so excited. Instead Chekov looks forlorn and serious about the idea of serving as navigator on other starships or crafts. In all honesty, the idea makes him feel uncomfortable, but he doesn't tell Sulu this. You see, he knows everyone on the Enterprise, after a fashion. No one made fun of him there. Sure, they sometimes called him "kid", but they all had a respect for him and what he could do that he had never experienced anywhere else.
He was apprehensive about joining a new crew or working under someone who did not know him. He was only a teenager in the midst of adults, and as it was, it took a lot of time to gain other people's trust and respect. He isn't entirely sure if he's ready to do that all over again.
Maybe his mother had been right. She had always said that he would have a hard time fitting in. She had never said so to be cruel, but because it was a fact. Chekov always had trouble fitting in. Thus, he had always been alone. With no siblings to play with and his father gone most of the time he had learned to entertain himself in the only way he knew how; through mathematics and sciences.
Chekov had not admitted to Sulu that he was his only friend. The thought of being separated from him made the Russian boy feel more alone than ever. There was only one place he could go until Kirk became Captain of the Enterprise once more, and that was home.
"Sulu?" Chekov asks sheepishly as they wait outside the commissions' office.
"Huh? You've been quiet," the young Asian replies, cuffing his friend on the shoulder good-naturedly.
"Sulu, I don't zink I'm going to stay vith Starfleet. I zink I'm going back to Russia for a vhile. To ze my family . . ."
Sulu looks taken aback for a moment. "Don't go yet, Chekov. Come fly with me, and then go back to Russia. Surely your mother can wait a little longer to see you."
The Russian shrugs. "I guess so, but I don't zink I can stay. It's hard to explain."
Sulu understands as usual though. He puts his hand on the young Russian's shoulder and looks him in the eye like an equal; like a friend.
"You do whatever you want to. I'll still be here when you get back. Go back to Russia and find a nice girl to give your heart to. Hell, marry her if you want, and then come back. The Enterprise should be waiting."
Chekov nods, grateful for his understanding and encouraging friend. He can always count on Sulu not to ask questions or throw himself into other people's business.
"I don't know about getting married," he says quietly, but with a gleam in his eye, "I am only sewenteen after all."
The two laugh, and then stand in comfortable silence for some time. Finally Sulu is summoned into the office, Chekov meanwhile bids him good luck, and promises to meet him afterward.
---
Later that evening they meet in a quiet campus library to discuss their plans for the future. Sulu harps for most of the conversation about his job shuttling crews up to the starships at space dock. He recounts the meeting between himself and the commissioner with a look of pure glee and excitement on his face. Chekov can't be happier for him. It will be a busy but rewarding job for his friend.
When asked about what he will do Chekov decides that he will first see his mother and hopefully have a much-needed talk with his father. Then he'll go to Moscow and continue his studies at the academy there. He notes with a hint of pride that they will surely want to know about how he managed to beam Sulu and the Captain aboard the Enterprise while they were in free fall.
It is only 3 days later when the two part ways. Sulu waves good-bye to his Russian friend at the space terminal and promises to send him regular updates on what he's up to. Chekov promises to do likewise, but says that his notes will probably be far less entertaining than that of his friend. Sulu shrugs.
"Take care of yourself," he says, giving him a small salute.
The young Russian salutes back and shoulders his bags, "Stay safe."
They turn from each other and walk in opposite directions; Sulu back towards Starfleet and Chekov toward the shuttlecraft that will take him home. The journey is a long one for the latter, and he sleeps peacefully most of the way, something he has not been able to do for some time. He sends a message to his mother a few hours before his arrival, and she is ecstatic that he will be coming home.
When he exits the shuttlecraft, still drowsy and aching all over, he is immediately enveloped in a hug. Dropping his bags at his feet, he immediately embraces his mother back. He does not mind when she strokes his hair and his back as though her were a little boy again, and especially not when she begins to cry and mutter things about how much older he looks and how proud she is of him. Meanwhile, he cannot think of anything to say to her. He is only happy to finally be home, to be safe.
On the other side of the planet, Sulu is taking his first set of crew up to space dock. He buckles himself in, checks the gauges and knobs around him, and looks back at the crew seated behind him. Most are green cadets looking for their first piece of action. They look around excitedly, chattering to one another and pointing to things out of the window.
There are some veterans in their midst however, and these are not just men and women who have been to space many times. Some he recognizes from the Enterprise as members of the crew who helped in the fight against Nero. These particular crewmembers look tired as they gaze out of the windows or stare off into space dejectedly.
Sulu speaks over the intercom system. "Sixty seconds to take off. Please make sure you have your harnesses fastened and all of your personal belongings are stowed in the overhead compartment. This shuttle is going to space dock 4. All crew should be boarding the USS Constellation."
He is silent for a moment, his mic crackling, as he waits to see if any of the cadets realise they're on the wrong flight out. No one says anything, and so Sulu sets to work readying for take off. He watches the countdown with bated breath and as the counter finally reaches zero they are off, up into the air, flying.